ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2017
Sauna bathing reduces the risk of respiratory diseases: a long-term prospective cohort study.
Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- Passive heating and glycaemic control in non-diabetic and diabetic individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2019Pooled it
- Common and Divergent Physiological Responses to Hypoxia and Heat.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Effects of Bathtub Bathing and Sauna Practices on Cardiovascular and Systemic Health: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Review
- What We Don't Speak of: Exploring the Impact of Historical Trauma and Discrimination on the Health and Well-Being of Sweden Finns.Culture, medicine and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Acute Finnish sauna heat exposure induces stronger immune cell than cytokine responses.Temperature (Austin, Tex.) · 2026Article
- Review
- Sauna use as a novel management approach for cardiovascular health and peripheral arterial disease.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2025Review
- The multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan: A comprehensive review with a focus on Finnish sauna.Temperature (Austin, Tex.) · 2024Review
- The Interplay between Systolic Blood Pressure, Sauna Bathing, and Cardiovascular Mortality in Middle-Aged and Older Finnish Men: A Cohort Study.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2023Article
- A study on neural changes induced by sauna bathing: Neural basis of the "totonou" state.PloS one · 2023Article
- Inflammation, sauna bathing, and all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older Finnish men: a cohort study.European journal of epidemiology · 2022Article
- Profound Effect of Pulmonary Surfactant on the Treatment of Preterm Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome.Contrast media & molecular imaging · 2022Article
- The Prevalence of Use of Various Post-Exercise Recovery Methods after Training among Elite Endurance Athletes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Innate immunity, inflammation activation and heat-shock protein in COVID-19 pathogenesis.Journal of neuroimmunology · 2021Review
- High fitness levels, frequent sauna bathing and risk of pneumonia in a cohort study: Are there potential implications for COVID-19?European journal of clinical investigation · 2021Article
- The Cardiometabolic Health Benefits of Sauna Exposure in Individuals with High-Stress Occupations. A Mechanistic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Hydrothermotherapy in prevention and treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.Medical hypotheses · 2021Review
- Balneotherapy and hydrotherapy in chronic respiratory disease.Journal of thoracic disease · 2020Review
- Turning up the heat on COVID-19: heat as a therapeutic intervention.F1000Research · 2020Review
- Moderate Fever Cycles as a Potential Mechanism to Protect the Respiratory System in COVID-19 Patients.Frontiers in medicine · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Sauna bathing has been linked with numerous health benefits. Sauna bathing may reduce the risk of respiratory diseases; however, no prospective evidence exists to support this hypothesis. We aimed to assess the association of frequency of sauna bathing with risk of respiratory diseases (defined as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, or pneumonia). Baseline sauna bathing habits were assessed in a prospective cohort of 1935 Caucasian men aged 42-61 years. During a median follow-up of 25.6 years, 379 hospital diagnosed incident cases of respiratory diseases were recorded. In adjustment for several major risk factors for respiratory conditions and other potential confounders, the hazard ratios (HRs) 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of respiratory diseases were 0.73 (0.58-0.92) and 0.59 (0.37-0.94) for participants who had 2-3 and ≥4 sauna sessions per week respectively compared with participants who had ≤1 sauna session per week. The multivariate adjusted HR (95% CI) for pneumonia was 0.72 (0.57-0.90) and 0.63 (0.39-1.00) for participants who had 2-3 and ≥4 sauna sessions per week respectively. Frequent sauna baths may be associated with a reduced risk of acute and chronic respiratory conditions in a middle-aged male Caucasian population.
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Registered trials
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